Filtered Coffee

Description

Filtered Coffee

The French coffee biggin furnishes the easiest means for filtering coffee. It consists of two cylindrical tin vessels, one fitting into the other; the bottom of the upper one is a fine strainer, another coarser strainer is placed on this with a rod running upwards from its center; the finely ground coffee is put in, and then another strainer is slipped on the rod, over the coffee, the boiling water is poured on the upper sieve and falls in a shower upon the coffee, filtering through it to the coarse strainer at the bottom, which prevents the coffee from filling up the holes of the finer strainer below it. The coffee thus made is clear and pure.

The National Coffee-pot is so widely known as not to need description here, but the "glide wife "can improvise one equally as desirable and much simpler. Make a sack of fine flannel, or canton flannel, as long as the coffee-pot is deep, and a little larger than the top; stich up the side seam to within an inch and a half of the top, bend a piece of small but rather stiff wire in a circle and slip it through a hem made around the top of the sack, bringing the ends together at the opening left at the top of the side seam. Having put the coffee in the sack, lower it into the coffee-pot with the ends of the wire next the handle, spread the ends of the wire apart slightly, and push it down over the top of the pot. The top of the sack will then be turned down a little over the outside of the pot, a part of it covering the "nose," and keeping in all the aroma, the elasticity of the wire causing it to close tight around the pot, holding the sack close to its sides. Instead of a wire (which must be removed to wash the sack after using), a tape may be used by tying the ends after turning the top of sack down. When the sack, with the coffee in it is in its place, pour the boiling water over the coffee, close the lid tightly, and let simmer (not boil) fifteen minutes to half an hour. In pouring for the table raise the sack off the nose but not out of the pot. This makes good coffee without eggs or any thing else to settle it.